


i never should have let them dance

by abbyli



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Anastasia AU, Angst, Arya is the con artist, Baelish is Rasputin, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Gendry is the lost prince, Happy Ending, Hot Pie and Arya partnership, Magic, Queen Shireen, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 07:34:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11869590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abbyli/pseuds/abbyli
Summary: When Arya sees the offer of a large reward for the safe return of the lost prince Gendry Baratheon, she sees it as the perfect time to pull off the biggest con. What she's searching for the perfect copy to pass off as the prince, she finds it in Gendry Waters.Only, unbeknownst to him and to her, he's the real thing.[ anastasia au ]





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> .  
>  a/n: So here is my long awaited Gendrya/Anastasia AU! Okay it’s not long awaited, I literally just decided to write this after making an aesthetic. The Aus I have read usually have Arya as Anastasia and Gendry as Dmitri but honestly, I really like the idea of Arya being the con artist, finding the perfect copy for the lost prince Gendry to collect a big reward but instead stumbles on the real thing. Anyway, read on!  
> oh, ps, this is set in the early 1900s.

[[ aesthetic ]](https://meerareedy.tumblr.com/post/163004938938/queen-shireen-baratheon-is-dying-of-greyscale-and)

.

“Are you sure about this, my queen?”

Shireen sighs softly, exhaustion overcoming her at the merest movement. “How many times have I asked you not to call me that, Davos?”

Her dear friend and protector of many years gave her a grizzled smile. “Apologies.”

Shireen looked down at the paper, her pen still clenched in her fist. “He deserves this. He saved me.”

“Suppose he doesn’t want it?” Davos asks.

The words send a slight shiver down Shireen’s back. She had hoped that the Baratheon name would live on after her. She had never married, never been able to marry due to her illness so her womb was bare. If the rumors were true, if that boy who saved her life that horrible bloody night was alive, the Baratheon name could live on.

She could live on.

_Suppose the rumor is false._

_Suppose he is no longer alive._

Shireen looks down at her neatly printed handwriting, at the words and the offer of the reward for the safe return of her hidden cousin.

Of Gendry.

The night that the rebel soldiers stormed the castle, she had been asleep in her bed upstairs. Her governess had come to pull her from the warm blankets, saying something about her father and mother being dead and not letting her cry. The governess had forbid her to cry and later Shireen understood why.

She had been passed into a pair of arms of a boy who wasn’t that much older than she was when the governess was torn from her. The boy had ran with her and only then did she start to scream.

The shouts of the dying men of Baratheon house sank into her ears. The boy held her tight, his lips pressed to her ear as he begged her to calm down, to please be quiet so they could live. So _she_ could live.

And she did.

She only saw the boy’s face once when they had moved outside into the chilled early morning air.

He looked like her uncle Robert.

Shireen had seen photos of her uncle when he was a young man. He was tall, strong, and handsome with inky black hair and soft eyes that were hardened now from seeing many wars and many lives pass before him. The boy looked like her uncle then, before when life was hopeful and the world wasn’t grey with pain.

She had lived that night. An orphanage had taken her and two other children that night that had managed to survive. Her father’s advisor, who had been away in another country, came to find her when the dust cleared. Her Davos.

The rebels were all caught and executed. Storm’s End began to rebuild.

And when she turned eighteen years old, Shireen Baratheon was crowned queen.

She was twenty six now and dying of greyscale.

Her doctors didn’t believe she had more than a year but Shireen was determined to prove them wrong. She had lived through that horrid night, what was an illness to her?

She could see the sadness in Davos’ eyes every day. The man had been like a father to her even before her own father was struck down by a rebel’s rifle. She had lived in the shadows as a child and now she lived in the open, ruling as best she could over the Stormlands. The country was still shaky when she took over for her appointed regent and the people were hesitant for a teenager to take over.

But she lived.

And her people did too.

When the rumors hit her ears that in the old palace, the place where her family was taken, that the boy’s body was never identified and he might be alive, Shireen wondered. She wondered and she waited to see if anything ever came of it.

Now was her chance to find out for sure. If Gendry was alive he would surely come forward when he knew she was looking for him. Right?

Right?

She asked Davos that question every night. And he gave her the same answer.

_That is Gendry’s call, love._

**Ten Thousand Gold Coins For the Safe Return of the Queen’s Cousin.**

Her uncle Robert had other children. Illegitimate children that lived as servants, as maids, as small babes of the other maids.

All of those children except Gendry were identified that night.

He had to be alive.

He just had to be.

She had to...thank him. Thank him for giving her fifteen years that she would not have had if it wasn’t for him.

-;

**.**

**.**

“Whatcha looking at?”

Arya peers closer at the poster, her mouth twisted in concentration. Hot Pie takes a large bite out of the apple he had nicked off of a nearby cart, chomping away in her ear. She pats him away, not taking her eyes from the notice.

“Amazing.”

“What’s amazing?”

“Look at this.” She tears the notice from the post, passing it to Hot Pie. He takes another large bite of apple as his eyes flicker over the paper. “Queen Shireen is offering a ten thousand gold coin reward for the safe return of her cousin Gendry.”

“Yeah, so?” Hot Pie raises his brows. “He died the night of the Baratheon murders.”

“The rumors going around Storm’s End says that he’s alive. His body was never identified after that night.”

“I’m still lost, Arya. What are you getting at?”

Arya grabs the lapel of his jacket. “Imagine what we could do with _ten thousand_ gold coins.”

A far away look settles in Hot Pie’s eyes. “I could open my bakery.”

She laughs. “That you could.”

“What would you do with it?”

Arya chews on her bottom lip, lost in thought. “I’d get my home back.”

-;

“You must be daft, Arya.”

Arya smirked, delighted at the hilarious look on her friend’s face.

“We’ve done cons like this before, my dear Hot Pie.”

Hot Pie gaped at her. “ _Dear?”_

She laughed. Since her family’s deaths, she had decided to live just as well as she could. And if that meant pulling cons, hustling people for their money, and running before being caught, then so be it.

Hot Pie had come into her life when she had been caught stealing cakes from his street cart. He had been the only person to ever catch her. And then he came along on the ride with her. He was the distraction in their cons while she was the one that stole what they were after, whether it be supplies for his baking, a slice of meat from the butcher, or even a new coat when her jacket became too threadbare to survive another winter.

The winters in Storm’s End had grown colder after the murders. Arya wasn’t sure if that actually _meant_ anything or if was just a strange coincidence. She was used to it though. These were nothing compared to Winterfell’s winters.

“We’ve never tried to pass off someone as the queen’s _cousin_!” Hot Pie stammers. “If we get caught –“

“By the time the queen wises up to it, we will be back in Winterfell, spending our fortune!” Arya lightly punches his shoulder.  

The round boy gapes at her like a fish for a good solid minute before emitting a loud sigh. “What do we have to do?”

Beaming, Arya launches into her plan. She knew that once the news of the reward hit the streets of the Stormlands, there would be many people pretending to be Gendry. The queen would be more of an eagle eye to what was in front of her. They had to find the perfect copy. Someone that looked very much like king Robert. Get him gussied up like the proper prince and heir to the Storm’s End throne he was and get him in the door to the queen and then bolt once the reward was in their hands.

When she’s done, Hot Pie is looking at her like she had just grown antlers. Arya leans in, resting her chin on his shoulder. “Come on. Who else could pull it off but you and me?”

-;

 


	2. Gendry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: Ack! Sorry for the delay! I started like five other fics so I knew this was going to happen, lmao. Anyways, enjoy!

.

.

“You will take this road straight down. You can pick up the bus at the end and it will take you right to the docks for the ships to Essos.”

Gendry looks down the long snowy road, eyes widening when he realized just how many miles he would have to be walking. “All right.”

“You have the money and the extra pair of gloves. There’s nothing else I can do for you, boy.”

“That’s okay, Tobho. You’ve done enough.”

The older man pats him on the back. “I wish I could let you stay on but we’ve broken the rules enough. Do you think you can handle this?”

Gendry nods. “I do. Thank you again. Say goodbye to the children for me.”

“I shall.”

And then the old man is gone, the door to the orphanage slamming behind him. Gendry swallows, looking up into the sky. Snow’s coming. He can feel it.

He’s twenty nine years old today.

Tobho Mott had kept him on as an employee at the orphanage that he had lived in since he was eleven years old. He had worked and lived and done everything he can to help the children and keep a roof over all of their heads. He had become a carpenter and a craftsman, often selling things he had made when he went into Storm’s End in exchange for several loaves of bread or even the simple coin. The children were good to him and so was Tobho and he had hoped he could stay. Until the owner of the orphanage found out. Tobho had made it seem he had moved out and just worked there until he could not hide him anymore. It was best to just leave now.

His mind often went back to the night that a stranger had found him and brought him here.

Tobho had later told him the story of the Baratheon family, of the massacre that had taken place the night he was found and the neighboring houses that had been wiped out. Gendry couldn’t remember much of that night and he couldn’t remember much of his life before. That night had taken so much away from him and it was lucky that he even knew his own name. Tobho guessed that he was a child of one of the neighboring houses near Storm’s End and that was why no one had come to claim him in the past eighteen years. After he had turned sixteen he knew his family was dead and never coming back.

Since the massacre, winter had raged on in the south. The snow was never as deep as it was up North but the south was hardly prepared for the cold. Now they were adjusted to it.

He wrapped his coat more firmly around him and adjusted his gloves, ready for the long walk that was sure to come.

-;

Gendry hears the barking once he gets to the edge of the road.

His breath came out in white cloudy puffs, hanging heavy in the air. Snow littered everywhere, reaching to his ankles and soaking the cuffs of his pants. His lips were chapped and cracked and when he licked them he tasted blood.

He looks to his right, where he thinks the barking came from. Dogs were not allowed to be out alone without their owners, especially here.

And then four feet hit him right in the back and send him sprawling into the snow.

“What the – gerroff!”

The dog that knocked him down wasn’t a dog, no.

It was a _wolf._

The wolf gazed down at him with glowing gold eyes, breathing dog breath into his face. Before he can even utter another word, a giant vehicle goes flying past where he had been standing moments ago.

Gendry stares at the wolf, giving her a gentle nudge and she slides off. He rises up slowly, looking at the tire tracks in the snow. “You saved me.”

The wolf gives him a look that clearly says _you dummy._

“I’m sorry I don’t have any food on me.” He’s talking to a wolf. Good lord. “I’m heading into Essos.”

She barks again, so suddenly that it quiets him. He watches as she darts ahead, towards the edge of the road to a sign that is covered in snow. He follows and wipes the snow from the sign, seeing the words written there.

“Storm’s End? You want me to go there?”

She bumps her head to his thigh and Gendry wonders how his life ended up like this.

“A wolf wants me to go to Storm’s End.”

His eyes trace the words on the sign.

_Storm’s End._

Only ten miles away. He could walk it easily and find a room for the night. Look for work and make some money and then get out of there within the month and get to Kings Landing where more opportunities awaited him.

More familiar than what Essos had.

And maybe...maybe he could find what he had lost so many years ago.

“All right, wolf girl. You win.”

She barks again and he starts to walk.

-;

“That was nice. Nice. Thank you. Next!”

The next person that came out from behind the curtain was not even a man. It was a woman with hair cropped short and a thin figure that really accented her... _assets._

“Cousin Shireen, it’s me!” the girl burst out and Hot Pie lets out a loud moan to Arya’s right and face plants right onto the desk. 

“Lovely. Lovely,” Arya manages through gritted teeth. “We’ll let you know. Next!”

The girl leaves and that’s the last one. Arya turns to Hot Pie. “Stop it!”

“Stop what?” Hot Pie asks, quickly hiding his face.

“Looking like I am the greatest idiot in the world. We _will_ find him!”

“That wasn’t even a him!”

Arya groans, leaning down to fish around in her bag. She had gone to the ticket office earlier this morning, purchasing three train tickets to Kings Landing. Queen Shireen would be attending a conference there and would be gone for two weeks. Arya guessed that it was also to tell the governess of Kings Landing her decision about who to appoint as her heir. Arya wanted to get there and present ‘her cousin’ to her before Shireen gave her decision to the governess.

She tugs on Hot Pie’s sleeve. “Come on, let’s go eat something.”

“Sounds good to me.”

They leave the great hall and walk up the winding stairs to one of the kitchen’s. Storm’s End castle was enormous and honestly, Arya loved it. She loved hiding in here, it reminded her of when she was a child and would dash around the halls of Winterfell in games with her brothers. Hot Pie wasn’t much for games but she made due now with the type of life she led, finding the excitement in running the con.

Hot Pie sets right to work when they arrive at the kitchen, lighting the stove and digging around in the ice box for the eggs she had swiped from the local market this morning. “Scrambled?”

“Sounds good.”

A few minutes later she is digging into a plate of eggs and cheese with a slice of freshly baked bread when she hears a crash from downstairs.

-;

[Gendry can hardly believe the largeness of the castle. He can see the towers from about a mile away, and the wolf runs ahead, barking at him like she wants him to hurry up. His feet burned and his legs begged him to just sit down but he knew if he did he would not get back u](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/329607266470612611/)p.

The castle was supposed to be abandoned now, right? Who would want to stay in a place where two great families were wiped out?

He needed a place to sleep for the night. He didn’t have much money and wanted to save that for food and –

_Yip!_

The wolf seemed pretty insistent on which way to go.

He follows her, his legs bellowing at him. He had to stop soon and it was looking like the castle was where he would.

Another mile and he arrives in the courtyard. His eyes peel around the snowy grounds, looking for any sign of life and when he finds none, he raps lightly on the edge of one of the boarded up doors. The wolf barks softly and to Gendry’s great surprise, wriggles right through an opening between the boards and disappears inside.

“What the – dog! Hey, dog! Wolf! Whatever you are!”

Yeah that would surely earn him a bite later.

Gendry yanks on the boards, letting out a grunt when they give way. He tosses the board aside, straightening his coat before bending down and sliding through.

“Wolf!” he calls softly, his eyes adjusting to the darkness inside.

This place is _grand_. Gendry’s jaw slides open as he takes in the greatness, even in it’s battered remains. He can see what glory this castle once held.

He’s been here before.

Shaking that thought away, Gendry discards his gloves and shoves them into his pockets, beginning to walk down the long corridor where he had seen the wolf disappear.

He breaks into a run, strength he didn’t know he had coming through. “Wolf!”

There’s a bark from further down, followed by a voice. _“How did you get in here?”_

Gendry freezes, his heart hammering in his chest. This was a bad idea. He should run. He should run. He should run.

“Hey! What are you doing in here?!”

He’s running.

The person that called his name is suddenly on his heels, small hands pressing into his back and tackling him right to the floor. When he looks up, stunned, he’s gazing into the face of a girl with dark hair and grey eyes who is _startling_ pretty.

“How...” she pants, her fingers pressed into his wrists. “...did you get in here?”

-;

The crash from downstairs had sounded an awful lot like some of the boards giving way. Arya gives one last woeful look at her food before getting up and leaving the kitchen, Hot Pie behind her. They walked down the stairs together, Hot Pie balancing a lit candle in his hands. Night was falling and darkness was filling the castle.

Then, barreling out of the darkness, was a great snarling creature.

Arya let out a small yelp, darting to her right while Hot Pie dove for his left. The creature wasn’t a creature at all, and to her surprise, was barking and yipping, bouncing in a circle around the two of them.

“A wolf?” she gaped. “How did you get in here?”

The wolf girl yips again and Arya reaches out two fingers, hopping that she wasn’t about to bite them off. The wolf bumped her head against Arya’s hand and took off.

“I suppose we follow?”

“What if it’s a trap?” Hot Pie asks.

“A wolf leading us into a trap?” Arya chuckled. “She probably broke through some of the boards. We’ll fix it and then feed her?”

Hot Pie gapes at her like she had grown another head. “Are you serious? It is a _wolf.”_

She’s already walking away, following the great grey beast back down the corridor and into the great hall.

They’re not alone.

A man’s turning on his heel, trying to run. Arya takes off like a shot after him. “Hey! Hey, what are you doing in here?!”

The man does his best effort to flee but Arya’s small size makes her quicker and she tackles him right to the floor and straddles his torso with her legs. Her fingers press down onto his wrists and hold him there, sure that this man’s great size will easily flip her but –

Oh seven hells.

Her jaw drops open when she sees this man’s face. There’s no way. Absolutely no way.

When Hot Pie gets closer, the lit candle light bouncing around them, she gets a better look. Messy black hair, blue eyes, and the same jaw line as King Robert?

What a coincidence.

Lucky coincidence.

“Wow.”

The man lightly pushes her off of him, sitting up. “Can we help you?” Hot Pie asks.

The wolf is still jogging in circles around them and Arya takes a wild guess that the creature belongs to this man.

“You two live here?” The man asks.

Arya gets to her feet, holding out a hand for the man to take. He looks at the five digits like they are going to bite him before heaving a grunt and taking it. She digs her heels into the carpeted floor and pulls him up.

“Something like that,” Arya replies. “What are you doing here?”

“I needed some place to stay for the night and wound up here. I thought this place was abandoned.”

“It is,” Hot Pie says. “I suppose we were thinking the same thing, right Arry?”

Arya nods. “Right. Uh, as long as you’re not armed, you’re welcome to sleep here tonight.”

The man shoots her a grateful look and Arya tries to ignore the warm feeling that spreads right down to her toes.

“You go up those stairs and you will find bedrooms and the kitchens. I was just preparing food if you are hungry.”

At Hot Pie’s words, the man’s stomach lets out a rumble. Arya fights a laugh at his face. “Sorry.”

“That’s fine. I’m Arya. That’s Hot Pie. We kind of live here.”

He takes the hand she extends again. “Gendry.”

Hot Pie’s eyes flash and Arya stares. “Seriously? Do you have a last name?”

Gendry shakes his head. “This is going to sound crazy but I don’t know it. My true one anyway. At the orphanage they gave abandoned children last names so I go by Waters.”

“No memories?” Hot Pie asks.

“Very few.” He looks between the two of them, raising a wary eyebrow. “Why?”

“No reason!” Arya and Hot Pie say at the same time.

As Gendry walks ahead to greet the she-wolf, Arya exchanges another glance with Hot Pie. He shakes his head and Arya leans closer. “ _Why not?”_

“Because he just walked in the door, Arry!” he snaps. “You cannot ask him to do that.”

“Do what?”

Hot Pie scowls and Arya smirks. “Gendry let’s get you something to eat.”

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued. 
> 
> Leave reviews if you would like the next chapter!


	3. Agreement

 

.

.

“When was the last time you’ve eaten?”

Gendry blushed, glancing down at the partially devoured plate of eggs. “Yesterday morning, milady.”

Arya coughed. “Don’t call me that.”

“Arya, the dog is drooling on my foot.”

“She’s not a dog, Hot Pie.” Arya walks around the length of the table to kneel before the animal. “She’s a direwolf.”

“A direwolf?” Gendry repeats around a mouthful of eggs.

“Hot Pie, hand me that bread.”

“What? You’re going to give it to the dog?” Hot Pie asks, positively aghast and the wolf playfully nips at his knees. He quickly snatches it up and practically throws it to her. “Okay okay. Here.”

“Does she have a name?” Arya asks Gendry.

He shakes his head. “No.”

“Do you mind if I name her?”

“Not at all.”

Arya pats the wolf on the head as she gnaws on her bread. Her fur is soft despite being a little dirty and Arya wonders if she can coax her into a tub before the night is up. “Nymeria.”

“Nymeria?” Gendry repeats. “After the queen?”

“You’ve heard of her?”

He nods. “She was my favorite story to hear. The children at the orphanage would ask for that one every single night.”

“What do you know of her?” Arya asks.

Gendry takes the last bite of his eggs, setting the fork down on the plate with a clatter. “She was a princess of Rhoynar. Led her people to Dorne when the Valyrians tried to conquer them and married Mors Martell. Amazing general. Known warrior queen but I don’t think she actually fought herself?”

Arya can’t help but gape. The tips of Gendry’s ears flush red. “S-sorry. It’s just…no one knows that story. I mean, no one I know gives a damn about that story.” She looks down at the wolf - _Nymeria –_ and scratches her ears. “Nymeria is a fine name for you.”

-;

“No.”

“But –“

“ _No –_ ow!” Hot Pie rubs at his upper arm where she had just punched him. “What was that for?”

“His name is Gendry!” Arya lets out a stream of curses under her breath. “He looks like a Baratheon, he’s even got the Baratheon blue eyes. He’s perfect!”

“Arya, this whole scheme of yours is ridiculous!” Hot Pie snaps. “He’s just a traveler looking for shelter. We can’t ask him to do this. And besides, it’s a _con._ He’d be signing his life away to a lie.”

A flush of guilt settles in Arya’s chest. Hot Pie’s right but – her mind keeps going back to the reward. She needs that money. She needs to get her home back.

Before she can say anything else, Gendry enters the room. He still wears his coat but his hands are bare and his cap had been discarded. Nymeria meanders behind him, still sticking close. “Didn’t mean to intrude.”

“You didn’t,” Arya says. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Gendry shakes his head. “Never been a big sleeper. A few hours before everyone else got up usually was enough.”

Arya settles back onto the sofa, reaching for the bottle of moonshine to her right. Hot Pie does the same in his chair, holding out his hand for the alcohol. “Feel free to look around. This place is full of stories.”

“I’m sure it is,” Gendry eases around the length of the grand room, his eyes darting around at the great things in the room.

He wonders if the Baratheons held balls here. If the many children played here. If –

_If, if, if._

Nymeria nudges his hand, insisting on a pat that he gives her on the nape of her neck.

There’s a portrait on the opposing wall, covered in dust. He walks over there, feeling Arya and Hot Pie’s gazes on his back.

The portrait stands tall, the figures obscured by dust and dirt. He pulls down his sleeve and rubs away the grime, the first face he uncovers he immediately recognizes as King Robert.

There are footsteps behind him and he turns to his right to see Arya standing there. She wipes away more dirt and uncovers more faces. The last face they do see is of princess Shireen.

Queen Shireen.

Arya glances sideways at Gendry. His blue eyes are trained on the girl’s face, set hard like lost in a memory.

“Are you all right?”

Gendry nods, Arya’s voice pulling him back down. “I’m fine.”

“So Gendry,” Hot Pie’s voice booms, startling them both. “Where are you heading after you leave here?”

“I was going to try to make some money so I could go to Kings Landing.” Arya’s eyes widen and Hot Pie immediately shakes his head, something that Gendry sees. “I’d like to start over there.”

“That makes sense,” Arya agrees, ignoring Hot Pie’s second shake of the head. She turns her gaze on Gendry again. “We’re going to Kings Landing in a few days.” Hot Pie groans. “We’ve three tickets for the train but the third one is for Gendry Baratheon.”

“Gendry Baratheon?” Gendry repeats.

“Haven’t you heard about Queen Shireen searching for him?” Hot Pie says. “It’s rumored that he is alive. She wants to name him as her successor to the throne.”

Gendry blinks, momentarily stunned at their words. “That’s –“

“It’s quite interesting to me how much you look like King Robert,” Arya adds softly. Hot Pie scowls. “Look at the portrait.”

Gendry shakes his head. “Wait a minute, are you saying you think _I_ am Gendry Baratheon?”

“It is possible,” Arya says. “I mean, your name is Gendry. You have very few memories of your past. You grew up in an orphanage and you’ve lived in the Stormlands your whole life, right?”

Gendry nods. “Yes but –“

“You don’t know what happened to you. No one knows what happened to him,” Hot Pie supplies and Arya practically beams.

“And you want to get to Kings Landing and the prince’s only family is in Kings Landing at this moment.”

Gendry exhales, looking back and forth between the two of them like they had grown antlers. “You’re mad. The both of you.” With that, he turns on his heel and storms from the room. Nymeria gives an excited yap and quickly follows.

“Well that worked well,” Hot Pie says, shifting forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

“Just wait,” Arya holds out a hand, counting down softly on her fingers. “Three, two –“

“When did you say you were leaving for Kings Landing?”

 _What took you so long_ is what Arya wants to say when Gendry reappears in the room. Nymeria sits beside him, her long tail thumping on the floor. “Tomorrow morning.”

“The queen would know right away if I was not him, right?”

Hot Pie nods. “Yes.”

Gendry lets out a breath through his nose. The temperature had dropped so rapidly in the room, despite the fire that Arya can see Gendry’s breath in the air.

“If you’re not him, you can just leave right away and start your life over. You will be in Kings Landing. The place you wanted to go.”

“Doing this, I can skip a few steps in getting there,” Gendry admits. He sighs again, almost dejected.

“There is a chance that you are him,” Hot Pie says. Arya stares at her friend, amused. He shoots her a look that clearly says he’s irritated but now on board. “And if you _are_ him –“

“I’d be a prince,” Gendry says. He starts to laugh. “This is so ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous or…brilliant?”

Gendry rolls his eyes, folding his arms in front of his chest. “For now ridiculous.” He lets another breath out. “All right. You have me.”

Hot Pie claps his hands together. “Magnificent! We should all get some sleep. We have a train to catch in the morning.”

Gendry turns to the grand portrait of the Baratheon family, eyes resting on King Robert’s face for another moment.

If this is true, then he holds a dynasty in his hands.

Pushing away that thought, Gendry follows a jogging Nymeria up the stairs to the bedroom he had picked out.

-;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are too short, what's wrong with me? 
> 
> Reviews will get you the next chapter!


	4. The Hidden Room

 

.

.

Petyr Baelish glares at the notice like it had personally offended him.

In fact, it had.

“What is the meaning of this?”

His servant shrugged his shoulders. “I’m pretty sure that the words speak for themselves, sir. The queen is offering a large reward for the safe return of her cousin.”

Baelish almost gaped at the paper, staring so hard that the typed letters swim in front of him. That was impossible. There were no Baratheons _left_.

He had made sure of it.

The young queen was due to arrive at his office within the hour and he would be wooing her into agreeing to make him her successor. He was head of her advisory board, he made the decisions when she was too ill to do so.

The throne belonged to _him._

“Sir, the queen is here.”

“Very well, I will meet her in the great hall.”

Baelish watched his servant go before placing the notice on his desk and rising to his feet. His eyes cut back to the thick paper and a sudden growl rips from his chest. He snatches the paper up and crumbles it into a tight ball within his fist.

He would not stand for this.

“Mr. Baelish?”

He jumped slightly, glancing up to see the young queen at the door of his solar. He tosses the paper behind him and bows low. “Your grace, I was going to meet you in the hall!”

“Arise Mr. Baelish,” Shireen tells him softly. He stands straight, plastering on a smile that he hopes she believes. To his alarm, she is not alone. That Seaworth fellow that lives with her at the castle is behind her, fixing him with a dark glare.

“It is so good to see you, your grace. I trust your journey was well?”

Shireen nods, twisting her head to look at Seaworth and exposing her damaged cheek.

Baelish doesn’t flinch at the sight like most people do. He admires.

Fine work he does.

“Davos, could you leave us? Mr. Baelish and I have a lot to talk about.”

Seaworth raises a heavy brow. Baelish feels a swell of pride in his stomach. This is the conversation he has been waiting for. “I’ll be right outside.”

Once the other man is gone, the young queen turns back to him. “Sit Mr. Baelish.”

He almost runs to his desk and sits behind it. Shireen links her fingers together, resting them in a pile on the edge of his desk with her brow furrowed in thought.

“I’m sure you have heard already, the rumors about my bastard cousin being alive?”

Baelish nods. “Yes your grace, I have.”

“You see, Mr. Baelish, I have already made my decision about who will succeed me on the throne after the event of my death. _But_ if my cousin is alive, and he is willing, he will be the one that takes the throne. The Baratheon name will have to live on.”

“Your grace, if I may inquire --?” Baelish waits for Shireen’s nod, speaking again after she gives it. “What if you pass before your cousin is found?”

“I highly doubt that, Mr. Baelish. My doctors have informed me that I am getting stronger and at the moment I am in remission.”

Remission. He hadn’t thought about that.

Shireen Baratheon was stronger than Baelish had originally assumed. She was a frail thing when he first gave her the drink and after she had taken it, he had been sure that she would die within the month. When the doctors were with her, something changed. He was later told by Seaworth that her spirit didn’t want to give in yet and so the deformation remained only to her face and didn’t sweep over her whole body like he had anticipated.

When she grew ill again nine months ago, he had hope that perhaps – especially with her announcing she would be appointing a successor…

“So how much time are you giving this search?”

Shireen licks her lips and lifts her hands from his desk. “I will give it as much time as I can. I will be meeting with the governess in Kings Landing within the week with my decision of who my successor is though, in the chance that my cousin is truly gone.”

“So you have made a choice?”

“I have.”

Baelish’s heart begins to pound, wondering…

“You will make a fine king, Mr. Baelish.”

He could sing.

Once Shireen leaves his office to retreat her chambers for her one night stay, Baelish returns to his desk and hurriedly begins to write. He needs to find a way to bring his magic back.

He needs to find out if that Baratheon boy – _Gendry_ – is alive.

And if he is…if by some outrageous coincidence that boy survived that night in the castle…

He will kill him. And make sure the boy stays dead this time.

And then he will kill the queen.

-;

Well they were not getting off on the right foot.

The train was due to leave at daybreak and Hot Pie did not wake her when he was supposed to. Arya rushed around to get bundled up in her coat and boots, throwing her tangled hair back into what she hoped was a suitable looking plait. Hot Pie’s in the kitchens packing a satchel full of food, Nymeria begging for scraps that he occasionally tosses her.

“Where’s Gendry? And why didn’t you wake me up?”

Hot Pie curses softly under his breath. “I’m sorry, Arry. I got swept up in this. And I don’t know where Gendry is, probably still in his room.”

Arya grumbles, glancing at the grandfather clock on the wall. She had fiddled around with it when they had first moved into the castle, trying to find a way to make it work again to almost no avail. And then one day, it magically began to tick away. She still couldn’t figure out how or why but she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Nearly six in the morn. The train leaves at a quarter of seven,” she mutters to herself. “Where is he?”

“Go get him then, don’t bother me about it,” Hot Pie tells her.

Arya scowls at her friend before charging out of the kitchens and bounding up the stairs two at a time. Gendry had chosen the first bedroom on the right and she nearly staggers into the heavy door before banging her fist on it. “Gendry! Gendry are you awake?”

No answer. She goes to knock again and the door suddenly swings open with a low creaking sound. She peeks around the edge and finds the dusty bedroom completely empty. No sign of Gendry anywhere.

-;

Gendry woke earlier than intended. The stars still littered the sky when he looked out his window, the moon high and casting a heavy light over the snow covered grounds.

He shivers slightly, the frigid chill in the air biting at his bare fingers. He dresses quickly, pulling his gloves on over his hands before pushing the heavy door open. Nymeria scampers out ahead of him, heading down the stairs and he goes to follow.

His right hand rests against the banister as he moves down the steps. Once he reaches the bottom, he turns around the side of the staircase and strips off his glove, stuffing it back inside his pocket. He runs his fingers across the intricate carvings along the wall, coming to a stop at the grand portrait of the Baratheon family again.

It takes a second for his eyes to adjust in the darkness, before he can make out the Baratheon faces.

King Robert, tall and proud even in his older years. His black hair hangs past his ears and bright blue eyes almost daring. Brothers Stannis and Renly stand to each of his sides and his wife, the queen, sits in front of him. Lady Selyse Baratheon stands to the right of Stannis and they each have a hand on the shoulder of their daughter.

Shireen beams at him from the canvas. The artist captured her as a happy girl, full of life.

And now the girl ruled a country.

Gendry cocks his head to the side, still staring at Shireen’s face.

He’s – _no_. No that is insane. There is no way he could have ever met her.

His life was at the orphanage.

He sighs, settling his hand against the portrait.

And then the wall gives way.

Before he can yell or even make a noise, he plummets forward into darkness.

The door shuts behind him, enveloping his form in the midnight black.

Gendry climbs to his feet, feeling for the wall. Once his fingers find it, he begins to search for a door handle, anything to get him back out. There’s none.

His eyes begin to slowly adjust to the heavy darkness and he can make out a staircase a few feet ahead of him.

A staircase _inside_ a staircase. What in the world...

Gendry looks above and considers yelling for help but could Arya and Hot Pie even find where he was located?

He takes the staircase.

As he climbs higher, the ceiling gets lower and he eventually has to crawl. There is the smallest of doors that he finally reaches and for a minute he’s sure it’s sealed shut. With a grunt he pushes the door open and before he can even get a grip on anything he falls through with a grunt and lands on his hands and knees in another room that is filled with darkness and dust. His eyes still working well, he glimpses a lantern sitting on a small rickety table and picks it up, but alas, no oil inside.

The room is absolutely miniscule, he can barely stand up straight due to his head grazing the ceiling. There is a rusted bed frame in the corner and a moth eaten mattress, stripped clean of the sheets and blankets. There are a few other things that lay around the room, withered with age but he can tell right away, a child used to live here.

He looks around and sees two other doors aside from the one he just came through. He moves to the one across the room and fingers the handle for a second, looking back into the room.

 _Servant’s quarters_ , he thinks. _Maybe children of the servants that worked here in the castle._

He cannot shake the familiarity. But before he can consider it more, he hears his name being called.

-;

“What do we do? Do you think he left?”

Hot Pie tosses a spare biscuit in Nymeria’s direction. “I don’t think he would have left the dog.” Nymeria barks. “Excuse me, _direwolf.”_ The furry animal almost smirks at him and Hot Pie has to look away for fear he will actually laugh.

Arya sighs. “You may have been right, Hot Pie –“ and before she can say anything else, the wall behind her friend suddenly opens and reveals a dirty Gendry.

“Right about what?”

Hot Pie jumps about a foot in the air, nearly throwing the satchel of food across the room. Arya manages to catch it before it does. Gendry’s standing just a few feet away, having appeared out of a wall and looking a little redfaced but otherwise in one piece. “What in the world?”

He gives her a sheepish smile and Arya is suddenly quite annoyed. “I’m sorry, I got a little distracted. Is it time to go?”

Nymeria barks, padding over to bump her head against his hand. Arya sighs. “Yes it is. Are you ready?”

Gendry nods. “Ready.”

He waits for the boom to be lowered but it never comes. Arya remains in stony silence all the way to the station, only speaking once to a woman who opens her mouth in alarm when she sees Nymeria trot right onto the train after them. “What did you say to her?” Hot Pie hisses when the woman disappears and they move towards their compartment on the chilly train.

“None of your concern.”

It’s only when the compartment doors are shut that Gendry speaks again, rounding on Arya. “All right, I know you want to let me have it, so do it.”

Arya blinks up at him before reaching into her own satchel and pulling out a small book. “Whatever do you mean, your grace?”

Gendry hisses in annoyance. “Don’t call me that.”

“Do you wish to start a fight?” Arya asks, eyes narrowed. “Because I’d be happy to give you one.”

“Not at all,” Gendry snaps. “I wish for you to shout at me like you had been meaning too since we left the castle. Shout at me and then we can get on with this.”

“I will not shout at you while we are on a crowded train!”

“What are you doing now?” Gendry replies with a smirk and oh, she could hit him.

Arya drops her voice to a hurried whisper, glancing more than once at the window of the compartment door to make sure they were not going to have company. “I am not going to shout at you, stupid.”

Gendry suddenly seems satisfied with her answer and slides back into his seat, arms folded in front of his chest and legs propped up on her own seat. Arya growls under her breath and gets to her feet, nearly tripping as she tries to step over his legs. “Must you --?!”

Gendry waits and she will not give him the satisfaction. Who knew her fake prince would infuriate her so much and only on the second day?

Hot Pie sighs softly, exchanging a glance with Nymeria. It was going to be a long two days on this train.

-;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins! The secret staircase and the secret rooms, did anyone guess what those were? Pay close attention because there is a lot of significance about that secret staircase. And yep Baelish is the Rasputin of this story. 
> 
> Leave reviews if you want the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

 

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Baelish’s fingers moved slowly over the circle. Words he had not uttered in years spill over his lips, falling into perfect order in the air.

Light blossoms from nowhere, dancing across his field of vision. Baelish watches it closely, still chanting the spell under his breath for fear that it will break and disappear.

Then he sees it.

Not it.

_Them._

-;

“Are you going to act like a sour child the whole journey?”

Arya scowls, folding her arms in front of her chest. “I am not a child!”

“But you admit you are sour?”

Arya raises her foot to kick Gendry right in the knee and he lifts a brow in challenge. Grumbling, she lowers her foot and shifts away on her seat. She will not give him the satisfaction of giving in first. Besides, _she_ is the one that is mad at him.

The compartment door opens and Hot Pie walks in, holding a small cloth covered bundle. “Anyone hungry?”

“You bought all of that food and bought more?” Arya asks.

Hot Pie shoots her a dirty look. “What’s eating you?” He turns to Gendry. “What did you do to her?”

“Me?!” Gendry repeats. “It’s her!”

“ _Ha!”_

Nymeria rolls her eyes, settling her chin down on Hot Pie’s knee with a whine. Hot Pie lightly pats her on the head, fingers stroking over her soft ears. “I agree, wolf girl.”

Arya snorts, catching Gendry’s eye. He sighs grumpily, folding his arms and staring moodily out the window. With an annoyed grunt, Arya gets to her feet, grabbing her travel papers and storms from the compartment, loudly slamming the door behind her.

“Is this an attraction I see?” Hot Pie asks.

“Attraction?!” Gendry bursts out. “To that short little brat, have you gone daft?”

Hot Pie waves his hand in surrender. “I was merely pointing out –“

Gendry gets to his feet and exits the compartment too, stomping heavily the opposite way that Arya went. “Attraction. _Absurd.”_

-;

Arya sulks in the dining car, gnawing on a piece of bread and butter. She knows she’s being foolish in being angry at Gendry but the man just _infuriates_ her so much.

The door to the dining car opens suddenly and two women trot in, carrying small booklets Arya recognizes as covers for the traveling papers. “Isn’t that fine of them, changing the colors?”

Colors? Arya shifts in her seat, listening closely.

“I don’t understand why they have to change the color from blue to red.”

“I suppose it’s to tell when passengers have false papers.”

Blue to red...Arya reaches into her coat pocket and yanks out her travel papers, flipping them open. The blue text glares back at her mockingly and she lets out a small gasp. _“Damn.”_

Arya throws a gold coin on the counter and bolts from the car. Hot Pie is digging around in his satchel when she walks back into their cabin, his own travel papers sticking up out of his coat pocket. “We have a problem.” She flips open her papers. “They’re red now.”

“ _Red?”_ Hot Pie repeats, getting to his feet. “I propose we move to the baggage car and quickly.”

“I think we need to get off of this train _immediately.”_

Nymeria sticks her head up, sniffing the air and letting out a small whine. “Gendry went out to look for you, I think –“ As soon as the words leave Hot Pie’s mouth, the cabin doors open to reveal the person in question.

“What’s going on? Where were you?”

“I will explain in a few moments, get your things. We have to go.”

Gendry does as he’s told, whistling to Nymeria to follow them. Once their coats are tightly buttoned and Nymeria is on her lead they move easily down the corridor towards the baggage car. Arya hastily whispers what is about to happen to Gendry, not taking pleasure in how comically wide his eyes get.

“You cannot be serious,” he hisses.

“It’s the only way if we do not want to get arrested,” she mutters back.

Hot Pie shuts the door to the baggage car behind them with a resounding thud. Gendry slaps the cold from his hands, looking around at the small box. “This is absolutely lovely. Fit for a prince.”

Arya scowls, opening her mouth to retort when Nymeria suddenly barks, her furry face plastered against the tiny window as she snarls at something the rest of them cannot see.

And then the car explodes.

The force of the explosion knocks Gendry forward and right into Arya. He manages to turn their bodies so when they fall she is on top of him, her knee right in the center of his stomach. _“Oof.”_ He doesn’t think too much about the pain with Arya’s face just inches from his own. “Are you going to get off of me?”

Arya’s cheeks color and she clampers off, crawling to her feet. “What was that?” she says as she pulls Hot Pie up from the heap he had fallen in.

“I don’t know but –“ Gendry looks out the window Nymeria was barking at. “But we’re not attached to the rest of the train anymore.”

Arya’s blood runs cold and she practically shoves Gendry out of the way to look out the tiny window. “No one’s driving this train. We’re going to have to jump.”

“Did you say _jump?”_ Hot Pie repeats. “Are you mad, Arry?!”

“It’s either that or let this car ram into a mountain!” Arya yells back.

The three of them bustle around the cabin, searching for anything to slow the car down. Gendry produces a large heavy chain and walks over to the door, pulling it wide open. Ice cold air blasts them in their faces, along with debris. Hot Pie throws up his arms to shield his face when a few tiny rocks from underneath the tracks fly up into the cabin.

Arya watches Gendry drag the chain to the edge and swallows a scream when he drops out of view. _“Hand me the chain!”_

She pulls the hook over the side, passing it to him as he dangles from the still rushing train. He attempts to snatch the hook over onto the tracks and the chain flies from his hands, pulling the wooden planks of the tracks right up into the air. Arya’s hand wraps around his and yanks him up, narrowly avoiding one of the wooden pieces flying past his right ear.

As they get to their feet, Gendry wipes off his front. “I’ll thank you now just in case we don’t live through this.”

Arya shakes her head. “I got you into this mess.”

Hot Pie stares. “Excuse me, I hate to break up this sweet moment but remember we are still hurtling toward a mountain?!”

Gendry claps his hands together and Arya looks away. “Right. _Right.”_

Another roar fills the air, this time far in the distance. Arya dashes forward to look out the tiny window and sees the bridge up ahead beginning to crumble into dust. “We need to jump, _now.”_

“Nymeria!” The wolf leaps up, running to Gendry’s side. He grabs up his coat once again, looping it on over his shoulders and rapidly tries to think of a way to jump with Nymeria in his arms.

When Hot Pie pulls the door open, to his relief he sees just mountains of snow but it’s running out soon and _fast._

“Go!”

Arya jumps first and Nymeria barks, following her right out with a graceful leap much to Gendry’s surprise.

“You’re going to have to push me!” Hot Pie yells over the scream of the wheels.  

“On the count of three!” Gendry shouts back. “One –“ And he shoves Hot Pie hard in the back. The round boy falls with a high pitched scream and Gendry sees a blob of dark curly hair land in the snow. They’re getting farther away and if he doesn’t jump _now..._ ”Ah seven hells.”

The snow is ice cold and not as soft as he hoped when he lands. Gendry’s pretty sure he’s got a couple of rocks shoved up in places that they don’t belong and he hisses as he attempts to climb to his feet. There’s a cry of his name and he looks around to see Arya running towards him, the moonlight above silhouetting her soft figure.

He starts to run too. Hot Pie is tailing Arya and Nymeria’s there too, barking as she jogs past Hot Pie and somehow, _somehow_ they all crash into each other.

Gendry’s staring down at Arya when he suddenly realizes her arms are wrapped around his waist. She flinches away like she had been burned, rubbing her hands on the sleeves of her coat. Even in the dim moonlight he can see the tips of her ears turning pink and they both ignore Hot Pie’s knowing smile. Nymeria continues to bark and bounce around them, stopping only when she receives a pat from each of her humans.

“I’m glad you’re all right,” Arya whispers.

“And I you,” Gendry admits. “Both of you.”

Another explosion rockets through the air. What was left of the train had already disappeared down the tracks and as they all turn, they can see the yellow flames dancing high in the sky.

“That could have been us,” Arya whispers.

“Well, it wasn’t,” Gendry says firmly. He grabs Arya’s hand, who grabs Hot Pie’s. “We have a long walk ahead of us to find the nearest town.”

-;

_“NO!”_

Baelish’s fist came down hard on the desk, teeth gritted so hard he could feel a back molar begin to crack from the pressure.

He couldn’t understand it. There was absolutely no way that the boy and his companions could have survived that train.

_But they did._

Baelish swallows a snarl and looks towards the window. The night is still heavy and a few snowflakes glisten against the glass. He glances up at the moon and brings his hands together, eyes falling shut after a moment.

The magic of the moon could help him.

_Or kill him._

He shakes his head at nothing in particular. He could summon the power and make himself stronger. That was what was stopping him in the first place. He hadn’t used magic in _so long._

Baelish swears under his breath, looking back down at the table. The picture had faded already, the three travelers already bickering again on what their next plan would be to get to Kings Landing. He didn’t have much time until they found another route.

And then...and then...

The weary travelers would be dead before Kings Landing. And if by some _miracle_ they were still alive, he’d kill the boy himself.

.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh!
> 
> Oh my gosh, I am so sorry this is so freaking late. I hit such a slump with a majority of my fics and I am just now getting back to them. Anyway, I hope you liked the next installment and do leave your thoughts in the box below. Love!

**Author's Note:**

> Do leave reviews if you would like the next part. I'd really like to keep going with this au but if I don't get much feedback then I am going to leave it be. :)


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